Women rescued after van stranded in Sandy floodwater

THORNBURY — Two people were rescued from a minivan stranded in rushing water Monday as Sandy brought torrential rains throughout the region.

According to the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department, a minivan became stuck shortly before 7 p.m. on Dilworthtown Road near Cheney University. The van, carrying a man and two women, was unable to move through the rushing water, police said.

The man, who was driving, was able to exit the van on foot before police arrived, but the two women remained stranded as emergency crews were dispatched for the rescue.

Lieutenant William Cahill said members of the Fame Fire Company’s water rescue team were able to get both women to safety without injury.

Cahill and other police officials from departments across the county said that Sandy’s damage was limited and somewhat below expectations. Emergency crews were dealing with downed trees and wires as the county began to recover Tuesday, but officials said the amount of damage and power loss was lower than the unprecedented amount of destruction that had been forecasted. Cahill credited the county’s residents with listening to the warnings of emergency officials prior to the storm’s arrival and preparing for the worst. He said that the amount of emergencies that police and fire crews were faced with was limited as most residents wisely stayed indoors.

“That’s a big credit to the public for heeding the warnings of emergency coordinators, staying inside and off the roadways and really limiting the amount of emergencies that we had to deal with,” Cahill said.